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Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Follow
If you like motorcycles, fake lightning effects, and a beat that absolutely slaps, Yunho’s Follow might be for you. True Colors, Yunho’s first mini album, released just last month, but he’s been around K-Pop for far longer than that. He debuted in 2004 under DBSK (also known as TVXQ), which means his entertainment career spans…
By Seung Park Published July 10, 2019 -
Kotaku EastAlleged Manga Pirate Arrested After Japan Launches Global Manhunt
Romi Hoshino, the manager of now-shuttered site Manga-Mura, has been arrested in Manila. The site, which was taken offline in April 2018, was frequented by around 100 million people each month and made around 60,000 manga available free of charge, reports AFP. The Japanese government created a special task force to find Hoshino, a Japanese…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 9, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe Boy Band Anime That’s Drawing Crowds In Tokyo
Originally based on a smartphone game, Idolish 7 follows the adventures of a young woman who manages a boy band. Last week, a series of posters and digital ads went up in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro Station and fans came out in droves. So many people wanted to snap photos of the ads that the official Idolish…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 9, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: On A Rainy Day
There are some artists who are inextricably linked to a state of mind, or some kind of inner voice. For me, Younha’s voice is rain. It is the pitter-patter of soft raindrops on umbrellas; the rhythmic gurgle of an impromptu brook as it flows down the cracks of the sidewalk; the melancholy that often accompanies…
By Seung Park Published July 9, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanHideo Kojima Explains How Spider-Man Is Similar To Japanese Superheroes
Out of all American superheroes, there is one that many in Japan seem to like best: Spider-Man. But why? In a recent interview, Hideo Kojima explains how Spider-Man is like Japanese heroes, which might explain the character’s appeal to local audiences. How better to explain this than a man whose Twitter profile says his body…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 5, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Love Me
I absolutely love the phrasing in the chorus for Punch’s Love Me. It’s playful, melodic, and somehow more than a tinge of gothic at the same time? Whatever, can’t explain it, love it anyway. The opening piano chords are also a highlight; overall, Love Me boasts a high level of polish and completion for a…
By Seung Park Published July 3, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe New Sailor Moon Anime Movie Looks To Please Fans
If you like the way the original Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R anime looked, then you’ll probably dig Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie As Kai-You reports, Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi is overseeing the upcoming movie, while Kazuko Tadano, who was the character designer for the anime’s first two seasons, is returning as character…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanAttack On Titan‘s Final Season Is Coming In Fall 2020
The final season of the Attack on Titan anime will premiere in fall 2020. A short teaser announcing the news has been released. In it, Mikasa is heard saying, “Eren, please, come back.” Attack on Titan debuted as a manga back in 2009. The first season of its anime adaptation premiered in April 2013. Next year…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2019 -
Kotaku EastHow to Draw Detailed Buildings
Artist Thomas Romain is one of the few foreigners working in the anime industry in Japan. He’s done art direction on Symphogear and recently designed the mecha for Space Dandy. Today, he’s going to give us building drawing tips. Thanks, Thomas! Via his Twitter page (follow here, if you like), Romain was kind enough to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 28, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Run Devil Run
For some idol groups, their eventual turn to mature concepts happens somewhat gradually, like A Pink or GFriend. On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Girls’ Generation with Run Devil Run Coming hot on the heels of Oh!, 2010’s Run Devil Run was the aural equivalent of whiplash after that saccharine marshmallow of a…
By Seung Park Published June 28, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanLife In An Iconic Tokyo Building
This is Nakagin Capsule Tower. Built in 1972, it was designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa and a prime example of the Japanese architectural movement known as Metabolism, in which the concept was to design buildings that are organic and not static, making them reminiscent of living beings. The Nakagin Capsule Tower consists of a series…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 27, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Uh-Oh
(G)I-DLE, the winners of the ignominious Worst Group Name Ever Award, is back with Uh-Oh, and it’s a total 90’s nostalgia trip. From the record scratches to the percussion beat to the choreography, Uh-Oh is a love song to that decade when we as a collective society determined that, when it came to highlights, the…
By Seung Park Published June 27, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanPeople In Japan Don’t Seem Thrilled With Kim Kardashian West’s Kimono Underwear [Update]
Kim Kardashian West has not only launched a line of shapewear called “Kimono,” but has also reportedly filed a trademark for it in the US. Folks in Japan don’t exactly seem thrilled. Update: July 3 – 5:00 am: Kim Kardashian West has decided to launch her shapewear under a new name. Original story continues below.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 26, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Pink Magic
By this point in my life, most of the K-Pop groups I used to religiously follow are either radio silent, a shadow of their former popularity, or have disbanded altogether. So it always comes as a pleasant surprise when I hear news of a long-awaited comeback from one of the previous generation’s greats. During Super…
By Seung Park Published June 26, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanTourists In Kyoto Are Making Geishas’ Lives Difficult
If you are visiting Kyoto, you probably want to take lots and lots of photos. But when you do, there are some things to keep in mind, especially when you see geisha. Recently, the influx of tourists has put a strain on Kyoto. Hopefully, these are growing pains, and the city will develop better infrastructure…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 25, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Line 1
My birthday is coming up. Pardon me if this week is melancholic. It’s just my mood at the moment. With some of my very first memories taking place in Seoul (I only moved to the States in the first grade), I have a lot of good feelings tied to its subway. My grandfather would take…
By Seung Park Published June 25, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanIn The Pokémon Anime, Get Ready For Ash’s Crushing Defeat
In the Pokémon Sun & Moon anime, the Alola League is getting underway. There is rampant speculation that this time, Ash is going to win. But don’t get your hopes up. It’s Ash after all. As teased in the most recent episode, the Alola League champ gets to battle the Masked Royal: The theory is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanIconic Anime Characters Made Realistic And Freaky-Looking
Sazae-san is the longest-running animated TV show in the world. Debuting in 1969, the anime is iconic in its native Japan. People have grown up with the characters, and now they get to see them all real and creepy-like. This is what the characters in Sazae-san usually look like. The main character is Sazae, who…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 21, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanIt’s Hard For Japan To Change Its Escalator Manners
One of my first memories of moving to Japan in 2001 was the surprise at seeing how everyone lined up on one side of the escalator, leaving an open path for people in a rush. How courteous, I thought. But now, there are campaigns to change the country’s long-standing escalator manners. The tradition is so…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 20, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Zimzalabim
Red Velvet, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists of all time, just released their newest title track, Zimzalabim. And it’s… hmm. Part of the reason why I’m so struggling to encapsulate my feelings for Zimzalabim is, I think, because the song is quite literally all over the place. It kind of reminds…
By Seung Park Published June 20, 2019